“Please, Ella,” I say in a low tone.“Let me take care of you and our child.”
She lets out a big exhale as her shoulders sag, and that’s when I know I’ve won.The young woman looks down at her folded hands, her blonde hair smooth and bright in the setting sun, and my heart flips over in my chest.There’s something about Ella that touches me deep to my core, whether it’s her determination to be independent, or her very obvious need for support.Funny, because those things appear paradoxical, and yet they’re not.I merely have a young woman on my hands who’s fiercely committed to standing on her own two feet and yet clearly as poor as a church mouse.
With that, I stand and hold out my hand to her.She looks up, her chin held high and blue eyes steady.Then, her narrow shoulders straighten, and my heart squeezes tight again.The young woman makes me burst with pride, even in her darkest moments.But it’s when Ella places her small hand in mine that a surge of possession rushes through my chest so powerfully that my knees wobble as my head grows faint.I’m caring for this woman now … because she’smine.
6
Ella
Ilook at Nick with confusion when the black car speeds past the airport terminal and continues down a long drive.
“But aren’t we getting on a plane?”I ask.“I think we missed Terminal B.”
The handsome man chuckles low in his chest.
“We haven’t missed anything, sweetheart, because we’re not flying commercial.We’re taking my private jet.”
I stare at him in the darkness of the backseat.
“You have your own jet?”I manage in a choked voice.
He smirks a bit, so handsome that my heart flutters.
“Yeah, I decided to splurge and get a G6 last year.Like I said, I travel a lot, so it was an investment of sorts.Of course, having your own plane is ginormous waste of jet fuel in the environmental sense because of the excessive carbon emissions.But when you’re a busy man, flying private saves a lot of time, especially when you have your own G6, and aren’t doing one of those idiotic shares that Warren Buffett sells.The Oracle of Omaha is frugal down to the very last bone in his body,” Nick adds in a sardonic tone.“Toofrugal in my opinion.”
With those words, I turn back to look out the window because I shouldn’t be surprised that Nick has his own air transport.He’s the CEO of a rocket company after all, so it probably wasn’t a difficult decision to buy a jet when you literally work in aviation.But everything’s happened at light speed and I’m still trying to wrap my head around the changes because after I agreed to move to New York with the billionaire, Nick took control of my life.That’s the only way to describe it.Within twenty minutes, we were back at the resort and he was telling my manager that I wouldn’t be coming back.
“I could have informed Leonora myself,” I murmur quietly after the older woman accepted my resignation.“She’s not my favorite person, but she’s been decent to me during my time at Suncrest.”
Nick lets out a snort.
“Who lets a pregnant woman stand for twelve hours a day?She should have done that ironing herself, rather than making you labor away like a servant.And trust me, the resortwillbe forwarding your last paycheck,” he says with a gleam in those blue eyes.“Either that, or they’ll hear from my lawyers.”
I was silent because this is what happens when a powerful alpha male takes over.People who wouldn’t give me the time of day suddenly bow and scrape, eager to get into Nick Bannister’s good graces.Leonora even tried to snag an internship for her college-age daughter at Rocket X, although Nick brushed it off easily.I guess it happens to the CEO a lot, and he knows how to parry like a pro.
But the plane ride was something else, and I blush thinking back on it.We boarded his G6, and it was gorgeous inside, like what you see in an influencer’s Instagram story.There were eight cream-colored seats made of the softest, plushest leather, as well as flatscreens mounted on the walls, and fresh flowers in a vase that was welded to a beautiful wooden side console.We passed a gleaming stainless steel kitchen galley as soon as we boarded, and within seconds, a young woman materialized, cheerful and peppy in a smart stewardess outfit.
“Mr.Bannister,” she welcomed with a friendly smile.“It’s good to see you again.Welcome aboard.Can I get you and your guest some champagne before we lift off?”
Nick gestured to a seat in front, and I sank into the soft leather with a sigh.Pregnancy has made me more tired than usual, and I appreciated getting off my feet.His blue eyes gleamed at me, but then he shook his head.
“No champagne for us today,” he said in a smooth tone.“Just some juice.Apple?Orange?”
“Apple please,” I murmured with a smile at the stewardess.“Thank you.”
“Coming right up!”she said before disappearing into the kitchen again.Meanwhile, to my consternation, Nick levered his large form into the seat right next to me before strapping in.I could almost feel the heat of his huge form, and butterflies fluttered in my tummy as I tried to keep calm.Of course, he was completely unaffected by our proximity.
“Does your seatbelt fit?”he asked, casting my belly a sideways glance.“We can ask for an extension.”
I laughed.
“I’m not that huge yet.I think I’ll be okay,” I said with a smile.Nick merely stared at my tiny bump again, and was I seeing things or did his gaze look possessive?But then, the stewardess reappeared with our juices, and put them down on a clever pull-out console with a smile.
“Here you go, Sir,” she said while also depositing a small bowl of warm nuts.“Have a wonderful flight.The captain tells me we’ll be wheels up in five minutes or so, but please let me know if you need anything in the meantime.I see you’ve already got your seatbelts on,” she said with a wink.“Perfect.”
Then, the young woman disappeared again, giving us privacy and I turned to Nick with wide eyes.
“Wheels up in five minutes?”I asked.“Wow, that’s fast.I thought there’d be a lot of hoops to jump through before getting into the air, but I guess not.”
